Synthesis and Application of Polyurethane-Modified Silicone as Finishing Agent for Cotton Fabric

The polyurethane modified organic silicone (PU-SA) was successfully synthesized via step-by-step polymerization with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) used as monomers, dibutyltindilaurate (DBTDL) as the catalyst, trimethylolpropane (TMP) and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) as the chain extender, and amino-terminated siloxane (SA) as the blocking agent. The chemical structure of PU-SA was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that PUSA had been successfully finished on the surface. Additionally, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that the PU-SA treated fabrics showed low decomposition temperature and slightly high char residue. As a finishing agent, the effect of PU-SA on the handle of cotton fabrics was also studied by using a Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F). The experimental results found that PU-SA had a significant improvement on the bending properties, surface properties, and compressional properties. Moreover, the mechanical and anti-wrinkle properties of the cotton fabrics were also enhanced.